E-Cigarette reviews for the rest of us

Halo Reactor Review

This year, all of the major e-cigarette vendors have done some pretty serious up-sizing to their product offerings. We’ve seen VaporFi release the shiny new VOX II (Review), V2 Cigs has the new V2 Pro Series 7 (Review) and Volcano has released a line of luxurious mechanical mods. Until late 2015, though, Halo really had nothing that catered to the desires of advanced e-cigarette users. The Halo Reactor is Halo’s first entry into the luxury mod market, and it comes at a surprisingly reasonable price when the Reactor’s many features are taken into account.

View the Halo Reactor kit. It costs $69.99 and includes the Reactor mod, a sub-ohm tank, a USB charger, a wall charger, a full-sized bottle of e-liquid, a spare mouthpiece and a spare atomizer coil. Use the coupon code VAPE4LESS during checkout for a 5 percent discount on all Halo products.

Halo Reactor: Overview

If you spend any amount of time looking at e-cigarettes online and reading e-cigarette reviews, there’s a good chance that you’ve already seen some box mods that look very similar to the Halo Reactor. Many of them even cost less. My Halo Reactor review will explain, though, why I think Halo’s version is actually a better value than anything else you’re going to find. To give you a starting point, though, here is a short list of mods similar to the Halo Reactor:

Best ELeaf iStick Kit

So, Halo’s version of this mod does cost more, but it includes some things that few other vendors offer: an amazingly good sub-ohm tank with an organic cotton wick, a 30 ml bottle of e-liquid, a boatload of accessories and great packaging. All of this comes with a 30 day money back guarantee and the confidence that goes along with, if you’re a fan of premium USA-made e-liquid, buying from a company you probably patronize already. In terms of value for money, the Halo Reactor is easily the best ELeaf iStick kit that I have found on the market.

If you already have a sub-ohm tank or atomizer that you prefer, you can purchase the Reactor device only from Halo. It costs $39.99.

50 Watt vs. 100 Watt Vaping

You may have noticed that you can find a version of this device that’s similar from a functional standpoint but has a maximum output of 100 watts rather than 50 watts. People are going to have varying opinions about this. For some people, you can never have enough vaping power. I’ve seen videos online of people vaping at 700 watts, and even higher.

Personally though, I think that anything over 50 watts is really going to be wasted on most e-smokers. Halo’s brilliant sub-ohm tank has no problem delivering e-liquid to the coil consistently at 50 watts, with absolutely no dry hits. The problem is that at 50 watts, the vapor becomes almost unbearably hot. The Halo Reactor produces cool, flavorful vapor clouds that literally fill a room at 30 watts — I have no idea why anyone would want to go much higher than that.

Halo Reactor: Features

The Halo Reactor is a box mod with a massive 4,400 mAh battery capacity and maximum output of 50 watts. It is available in black, blue, pink and silver. Here is a short list of the Halo Reactor’s additional features:

Device locks automatically in the event of low voltage, short circuit and overheating

Halo Reactor Review

The first thing that I noticed when unboxing the Halo Reactor was the brilliance of Halo’s new packaging design. A foam divider keeps the Reactor and its tank in place, while a hard plastic outer shell protects the entire package and, I’m certain, looks great on display shelves. Under the foam divider, three small inner boxes hold the Halo Reactor’s USB cable, wall charger, instruction manual and extra atomizer and mouthpiece.

If you appreciate a device that feels solid in the hand, you’re going to like the Halo Reactor. Thanks to its dual-battery setup, the Reactor feels quite weighty and ought to be able to tolerate an occasional drop on a hard surface. However, the rounded sides of the device help to minimize the size increase of using two batteries rather than one. In fact, it feels scarcely larger than a single-battery box mod while offering almost twice the battery life. The buttons are also unusually firm and don’t rattle when the device is shaken — something that’s still pretty rare among box mods.

From the start, I was incredibly impressed by the performance of Halo’s sub-ohm tank. Until now, my favorite sub-ohm tank has been the VaporFi Volt Hybrid Tank. The Halo Reactor tank has some pretty significant differences from VaporFi’s offering; the tank holds a bit more e-liquid, while the atomizer coils are slightly larger and have thicker wires and more holes for the e-liquid to seep through to the wick.

Between the two tanks, I would say that the airflow is roughly equal. However, the Halo Reactor tank is capable of generating a bit more vapor per puff. Furthermore, because the Halo Reactor atomizer has four large holes for e-liquid rather than two small holes, the coil can remain sufficiently wet at higher wattage settings. While the VaporFi Volt Hybrid Tank maxes out at around 30 watts, the Halo Reactor tank has no problem operating at 50 watts if you can stand the heat.

The trade-off, though, is that you get a bit more condensation inside the center tube of the Halo Reactor tank. This can lead to an occasional spray of hot liquid in the mouth when vaping — something that’s rarely a problem with the VaporFi tank. However, this problem is easily remedied by running a cotton swab down the tube of the Halo Reactor tank about once per day. To me, this small inconvenience is worth the extra vapor production.

The other aspect that I really love about the Halo Reactor tank is the glass mouthpiece. It mostly avoids transmitting heat, so your lips stay cool even during lengthy vaping sessions. More importantly, the tip remains absolutely gunk-free. Although I’ve always loved the durability of stainless steel drip tips, I’m not a fan of their tendency to build up an unpleasant coat of lip balm. This never happens with Halo’s glass drip trip. I suspect that this was achieved by giving the tip some sort of non-stick coating, and I wouldn’t be able to comment on the health aspects of that. I really like it, though.

As for the Halo Reactor itself, I really like the 4400 mAh battery life. This amounts to almost double the battery life of the single-battery bod mods I’m used to, with only the slightest increase in size. The difference is really noticeable; going back to a single-battery 2400 mAh device after using the Halo Reactor, you’re going to feel like your battery always needs recharging.

Halo Reactor Review: The Bottom Line

The Halo Reactor is a superlative value, whether you compare it to other box mods in general or other ELeaf iStick packages that don’t offer nearly as much for the money. The build quality of the Halo Reactor is top notch, with no rattling buttons and a great feel in the hand. This is a device you’re really going to like, and it comes at a surprisingly low price.

View the Halo Reactor kit. It costs $69.99 and includes the Reactor mod, a sub-ohm tank, a USB charger, a wall charger, a full-sized bottle of e-liquid, a spare mouthpiece and a spare atomizer coil. Use the coupon code VAPE4LESS during checkout for a 5 percent discount on all Halo products.

Halo Reactor Review: The Pros

Best value for an ELeaf iStick anywhere, from a company you already know and trust

Excellent tank boasts huge vapor production and no dry hits, even at 50 watts

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About Vapegrl

Hi, I'm Vapegrl and this is my e-cigarette review website. I started e-smoking four years ago to rid myself of a nasty tobacco habit, and since then I've tried just about every e-cigarette and e-liquid I could find in the never-ending search for the perfect vape. Now I'd like to pass on some of the things I've learned. I hope you enjoy my e-cigarette reviews and guide.